Session T2H 1-4244-1084-3/07/$25.00 ©2007 IEEE October 10 – 13, 2007, Milwaukee, WI 37 th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference T2H-6 Using Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration to Encourage Transformative Learning Vivian Schoner 1 , Rob Gorbet 2 , Bruce Taylor 3 , Gail Spencer 4 University of Waterloo, Waterloo Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1 1 Research Associate Professor, Office of Learning Resources and Innovation, vschoner@uwaterloo.ca 2 Assistant Professor, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, rbgorbet@uwaterloo.ca 3 Professor, Dept. of Fine Arts, btaylor@uwaterloo.ca 4 Research Assistant, Office of Learning Resources and Innovation, gspencer@uwaterloo.ca Abstract – “FINE392: Technology Art Studio” is an innovative course developed in collaboration with Engineering and Fine Arts at the University of Waterloo. The course is team-taught by faculty from Engineering and Fine Arts, and the curriculum includes formal sculptural concepts, collaboration, installation, user- centreed design, electricity and electronics, microprocessors, and technology art history. Engineering and Fine Arts students collaborate in interdisciplinary pairs on technology-mediated sculptural works over the duration of the course, culminating in a public exhibition at end of term. FINE392 and similar cross-disciplinary collaborative courses provide an environment conducive to creativity and transformative learning. The eventual goal of our research is to draw conclusions about how to best design and implement such courses in order to maximize the learning experience, leading to a course development model. Here, we discuss the results of a study conducted during the 2006 offering of the course to methodically examine qualitative indicators of transformative learning. Students were asked in a guided-question format to reflect each week on the course impact and the progress of their projects and groups. Analyzing the results, we have identified a progressive pattern in the learning process, leading up to transformative learning events. Index Terms – collaboration, interdisciplinary, sculpture, technology art INTRODUCTION Engineers are frequently called upon in both their technical and administrative duties to “think outside the box.” An engineer’s ability to mix creative thinking with technical rigour is often what produces the innovations which drive our economy and standard of living. Arguably, an engineer who experiences transformative learning, the type which causes her to recognize limitations in her world-view and first recognize then incorporate other views, has a richer toolset to apply in her practice. One way to encourage transformative learning is through intense exposure to alternative disciplinary views. In this paper, we describe an exploratory study of transformative learning in a cross-disciplinary course on technology-based sculpture, which merges engineering and fine arts. The course, “FINE392: Technology Art Studio,” is designed to facilitate the advent of transformations in understanding that transcend disciplinary boundaries for students from both disciplines. The students work in cross- disciplinary pairs throughout the course. Study results suggest a progressive pattern in the process of learning that takes place prior to the advent of transformative learning itself. Thus we view learning transformations as higher-order learning events. As adapted from Cranton’s definition of transformative learning [1]: Through some event, traumatic or ordinary, individuals become aware of holding a limiting or distorted view. If they critically examine this view and are open to alternatives, they may consequently change the way they see things. They have then transformed some part of how they make meaning out of experience. At the outset, we assumed, first, that both fine arts and engineering students would begin the reflective thinking processes required for this course from within their respective discipline boundaries; and second, that working on projects in collaborative pairs as the course progressed would act as a catalyst to the transformative learning process. The paper is organized in the following fashion. We first describe the course structure and processes of the course, to provide a context for the study. The specific goals of the study are then described, along with the research tools used. The methodological framework is described, followed by data analysis and conclusions. COURSE DESCRIPTION FINE392 has been offered annually in the winter term (Jan- Apr) since 2004. For purposes of accreditation by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), the course counts as a Complementary Studies Elective. There are several different goals for this course. Institutionally, we hope